Wenatchee man sentenced in child pornography trading case

WENATCHEE  A local man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Tuesday for possession of child pornography.

Christopher Gary Carlson, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Rosanna Malof Peterson. The sentence includes a lifetime of court supervision after he is released from prison.

Carlson was arrested last year after an investigation into reports an internet user under the name of “warlock666” was trading images of child sex abuse, court records show.

“Those who trade child pornography are a part of a disturbing cycle of violence against children,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Brad Bench said. “Imagine being in your 20s, 30s or 40s and knowing that, in the shadows of the internet, predators are trading images of your childhood sex abuse. This is what victims of this crime must live with for the rest of their lives.”

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations agents and Wenatchee police determined “warlock666” was Carlson, records show. They also determined Carlson was using his cellphone to chat online about child pornography.

Officers obtained a warrant for the telephone and found more than 600 pornographic photos of children as young as 5 years old, records show.

Faced with the evidence, Carlson pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in November 2013.

“I commend the collaborative work of the Wenatchee Police Department and HIS,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Michael C. Ormsby.

His office prosecuted the case.

“Prosecuting offenders who are collecting child pornography is a priority of the United States Attorney’s Office,” Ormsby said.

Carlson had previously been convicted for possession of child pornography, court records from 2007 show. He was also convicted twice since 2009 in Delaware for failing to register as a sex offender.